For Immediate Release September 11, 2007 

                                       
Contact: Corey Welford/Meredith Lerner 617-679-6522

Entwistle Trial Rescheduled For January 28

CAMBRIDGE – Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today that Middlesex Superior Court Judge Diane Kottmyer has ordered the trial date in the case of Commonwealth vs. Neil Entwistle to be continued to January 28.

Defense attorney Elliot Weinstein formally requested the continuance of the trial date previously scheduled for October 1 in a motion filed today with Judge Kottmyer. At a hearing in Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge attended by Weinstein and Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Michael Fabbri, Judge Kottmyer allowed the motion to reschedule the trial date. The Commonwealth did not object.

In his motion, Weinstein cited the need for more time to analyze and evaluate the results of the DNA and other scientific testing performed by the Commonwealth’s State Police crime lab.

“The defense counsel requested more time to obtain additional discovery and further examine the results of the scientific and forensic testing in this case,” District Attorney Leone said. “We do not object to his request for additional time. As a result, we continue to prepare and will be ready to present our case on behalf of the victims, their family, and the Commonwealth in January.”

Judge Kottmyer scheduled the next hearing date for November 20 for final pretrial conference.

Neil Entwistle, age 28, formerly of Hopkinton, is charged with two counts of murder and related gun charges in connection with the January 2006 homicides of his wife, Rachel Entwistle, age 27, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian, in their Hopkinton home. 

On the evening of Saturday, January 21, 2006, friends of the Entwistle family arrived at the 6 Cubs Path residence in Hopkinton for an informal social gathering.  Upon arrival at the home, the friends found the home locked, and it did not appear that anyone was there.  At the same time, Rachel Entwistle’s mother had grown concerned after not having been able to reach her daughter all day.  She contacted the Hopkinton Police Department and reported that she had not been able to contact her daughter by telephone, and that friends of her daughter had called her upon arriving at the Entwistle home to find no one was apparently home.

The Hopkinton Police Department responded to the residence to complete a well-being check.  When they entered the home, no one appeared to be present.  Police looked into the bedroom, and called out to see if anyone was there.  They received no response, and there was no immediately detectable sign of any suspicious activity or injury.  The bed was in disarray with several layers of thick bedding and pillows; however it only appeared to police that the bed had not been made that day.  Police then cleared the scene.  Hopkinton Police proceeded to check with local hospitals to see if any members of the Entwistle family had been treated by them.  In addition, a bulletin was issued for the family’s BMW. 

The following day, Sunday, January 22, 2006, the Entwistles’ friends went to the house again, and were met there by Rachel’s mother and stepfather.  The friends were able to gain entry to the house.  They looked around the house, including in the bedroom, and did not detect any signs of injury or foul play.  The friends and Rachel’s mother and stepfather went to the Hopkinton Police Department shortly after 5:00 p.m. to file missing persons reports for the family.  As a result, Hopkinton Police officers responded to the home for a second well-being check. Upon searching the home, officers detected an odor indicating that there may be deceased individuals in the home.  At that time, officers discovered the bodies of Rachel and Lillian Entwistle in the bed in the master bedroom of the home.  They were pronounced dead at the scene.  Hopkinton Police immediately contacted State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, and together they initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. 

On January 24, 2006, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (ME) completed its autopsies on the bodies of Rachel and Lillian.  While initially investigators only detected one gunshot wound to Rachel Entwistle’s torso, autopsy revealed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.  The ME found the cause of death Lillian to be a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.  Both deaths were ruled homicides.

After an exhaustive three-week investigation by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, State Police, and the Hopkinton Police Department, investigators sought and obtained a warrant for Neil Entwistle’s arrest from Framingham District Court on Wednesday, February 8, 2006, charging Entwistle with two counts of murder in connection with Rachel and Lillian’s deaths, as well as illegal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition.  With the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice, authorities then obtained provisional warrant for Entwistle’s arrest from British authorities. 
 
At this time, authorities believe that Neil Entwistle shot and killed his wife and daughter in the house that they were renting in Hopkinton on the morning of Friday, January 20, 2006.  Investigators have determined that Neil left Massachusetts for his family’s home in England on Saturday morning.

Neil Entwistle was placed under arrest without incident on February 9, 2006, at approximately 11:50 a.m. local time (6:50 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) at the Royal Oak station, part of London’s underground public transportation system, by the Metropolitan Police Extradition Unit, which is affiliated with Scotland Yard. 

After waiving extradition, Entwistle was transported back to the United States by U.S. Marshals on February 15, 2006.  He was arraigned in Framingham District Court on February 16, 2006, before Judge Robert Greco.  He pleaded not guilty, and was ordered held without bail.  On March 28, 2006, Entwistle was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury. On April 11, 2006, Enwistle was arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court on his superior court charges of murder (2 counts), illegal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition. Pleas of not guilty were entered on his behalf by defense attorney Weinstein and Judge Peter Lauriat ordered Entwistle held without bail.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael Fabbri. The victim witness advocate is Patrice Provitola.

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